Kennedy's New Favorite Toy

Yes, it happens to be her brother.  Thankfully, he doesn't seem to mind.

Snips & Snails and Sugar & Spice

love that Noah can sleep unswaddled now
hate that he still has no sleeping schedule at all

love that Kennedy has quiet time during the day
hate that that means she doesn't nap anymore.  It's been about 10 days since she's taken a nap

love that Noah can roll now
hate that I can't leave him on the couch anymore

love that Kennedy is almost potty trained and doing better every day
hate that when she has accidents it's usually when she poops

love that Noah will be starting rice cereal really soon
hate that I will be cleaning up more baby messes and doing more laundry because of it

love that Kennedy loves to read so much and has even memorized several of her books
hate that she plays with my books and sometimes draws in them

Trees of Mystery

We ventured out again last week, this time to Klamath, CA to see the Trees of Mystery.  It's a cool name to make people stop on their road trip - it's just a hike through the redwoods to see some really cool tree formations and sculptures.  On our drive there we saw the most bizarre thing I have ever experienced.  We were driving on the coast, but high above the ocean.  It was foggy though, so when you looked over the guard rail, you saw some trees and then nothing.  Nothing at all.  It looked like the world ended and that you would fall into oblivion.  Totally weird, but awesome.  When we got there, we were greeted by Paul Bunyan and Babe the blue ox.

Yes, that's me and Kennedy at the bottom of his foot.  He was huge.  He talked and waved to Kennedy and commented on her yellow shoes.

The trees were really beautiful.  We walked through the wildflower garden, but there were no wildflowers to be seen.  Only this turtle with a cute little girl on it.

Seriously, these redwoods are gigantic.  We saw a 3,000 year old tree, some that were growing horizontally, and a tree that had 12 trees grafted into it.  It was pretty amazing and a really nice hike.

Kennedy really enjoyed running around in all of the trees.  She was running up the trail faster than us sometimes, and it was pretty steep.  We also got to see the cathedral trees, which were a bunch of trees that grew together at the base and formed a canopy overhead.  Apparently lots of weddings happen there each year.  You can see it behind us in the picture below.

Noah, of course, loved his stroller ride and was very content to watch the trees overhead and suck his thumb.

And here is the biggest tree you've ever seen.  I can't even guess how tall this thing was, but it was thick as all get up.  It was really beautiful at the top.

We took a gondola ride to the top of a ridge with a view of a really pretty valley that was full of trees and nothing but trees.  Gondolas scare me a little bit, I never feel safe - but Kennedy was very willing to ride and pose for pictures along the way.  She said that we were flying.

We had a really fun outing, and one that we really needed.  Kennedy liked getting out of the house since she has been stuck inside quite a bit while she's been potty training.  She was a trooper and hiked the whole way with us.  She was very understandably wiped out from her long day.

When Noah gets a little bit older, it might be really fun to go back and show him all the fun things he might have missed this time around.

More Fun Every Day

Noah is getting so big so fast.  He's really starting to be a lot of fun with his little expressions and how much he talks.  We're very happy to have him in our family.

"I Love You Anyway Too"

Have you read this book?

If you haven't, you should.  Especially if you're a parent.  We just got this from the library a couple of weeks ago and Brett and I fell in love with it.  (Brett will be mad at me when he reads that, I'm sure he wouldn't be happy with that description of how he feels about it.)  This book is cute, witty, and Kennedy to a T.  And potty training has really proved it even more.  Olivia is a little pig that is very good at wearing people out.  Oh, how Kennedy wears me out.  I honestly have no idea how the potty training is going, because the progress is so sporadic.  She has amazing successes, followed by horrible accidents.  We're going on 5 days of this, and my goodness, she is wearing me out.  But man, I love her anyway.

Who wouldn't love that sweet little face?  She got a fun lollipop after one of her major successes, and she was so excited about it.  She is so cute, and even though I probably wear her out just as much as she wears me out, I'm pretty sure she loves me anyway too.  I wish that potty training was over, but even though it isn't, it will be someday.  And in the meantime, I still love my sweet daughter.

My Cute Kids

I finally have been able to upload videos onto my computer!  As such, I have two for your enjoyment.  The first is of Noah's adorable baby laugh.  The second is Kennedy singing the alphabet song.  We have a hard time getting her to do anything on camera because she gets distracted by the fact that she's being recorded.  This is a rare gem.    I hope you like them!

Tinkle, Tinkle Little Star

Dear New Computer,
Thank you for coming and adding ease to my life.  You don't shut down for no reason.  Your screen doesn't go black for no reason.  Your screen is huge and pretty.  I'm glad you're here.
Girl That's Not Technologically Frustrated Now

Dear Kennedy,
This weekend, you are going to hit your last baby milsetone and will truly be a little girl.  That's right: 3-day potty training starting Friday morning!
Ready to Not Change Two Sets of Diapers Mommy

Dear Weather,
THANK YOU for cooling back down.  We have no A/C, and as such, I really had a hard time with our apartment being in the 80s for 3 days straight.  I love that it is 55 degrees in July.
Cool Weather Lover

Dear Coast Guard,
Thank you for allowing us to eat dinner with Brett every night.  It really helps to be able to see him every day.
Lonely Wife

Dear Pre-Preggo Clothes,
I'm so happy to see you again!  Now that I'm back to my pre-Noah weight I have the real work ahead of me: getting back down to my pre-Kennedy weight!
Glad to Not Be Pregnant

"Because She Is a Mother"

A friend of mine posted this on facebook, and I'm so glad she did.  I really needed to read this talk about mothers.  Lately I have felt under par as a mother, probably because we've had so many changes lately, including adding a child, and Brett being gone for 3 out of the 6 months of this year.  I have been going it alone with my kids quite a bit since Brett entered the Coast Guard and I'm not used to it.  This talk really helped me a lot today.  It helped me to remember that I have the Lord on my side because this is his ultimate work.  It helped me to remember that I can call on him for guidance and assistance and that I am doing better than I think I am.  Please read this talk by Jeffrey R. Holland, it will inspire you.